Just like the classic real estate industry question:"What are the TOP 3 most important features of any property?"(location, location, location) – the single most important fuel you'll ever create, buy or wish you had for your business is leads, leads, leads! Doesn't it make sense to know and understand the top 7 ways to generate leads?

Production Method # 1:

Direct Visual Impact. Impact? Really? Really! Unfortunately, when it comes to direct lead generation like it has been done for decades, most people get it wrong. It doesn't matter if it is a sign on the side of your vehicle, building or bandit signs, you must be direct, powerful and short with your message. Your colors must be bright and high contrast. Yellow and black signs work best, period. The sign area must be maximized so that letters are as big as possible. Become a sign sage – evaluate readability, placement and "attention factor" of every sign you see. Emulate the best of what you see.

Production Method # 2:

It is very important that you become hyper-aware of the power of coupons. You can easily make a business card that is also a coupon. When you do this, you are adding huge power to every card you give out. Can you put flyers on car windows? If you put a flyer on my windshield, it makes me want to meet you to give you a piece of my mind. When you put a valuable coupon the size of a business card just above my door handle in the window rubber, I will put it in my wallet – BIG difference!

Production Method # 3:

The US Post Office (USPS) is now offering delivery of an 8 "x 11" flyer for 16 cents per mail box. This is an amazing deal. It gets better. You can sell advertising on a flyer to other businesses that do not compete with you and cover your cost. Please understand, you can get 5,000 double sided color flyers that are plastic coated for about $ 400. You can see, with both sides available for ads (coupons) you'll have plenty of space to sell and at the same time, your ad (coupon) appears on a portion of the same flyer. This is endless free advertising in exchange for a little work. You could even make money while getting your ad for free!

Production Method # 4:

We all hate email SPAM, don't we? However, you may not realize that you have probably responded to a SPAM email at some time. From that email, you may have built trust in the person who sent you the original SPAM. SPAM is legal if you follow some simple rules – Google it. Major corporations use legal email SPAM. Most people don't realize that the SPAM law is actually the CAN-SPAM law (meaning you can spam as long as you follow a half dozen simple rules).

How can you do it so no one gets upset? Offer free help or valuable information. I did this with real estate agents (for example) . I sent them valuable tips they had never been sent before. I told them in the original email that I would continue to send tips unless they unsubscribed. I made it extremely easy for them to unsubscribe. I quickly built a big list which accepted my emails. I eventually made an offer of my product to them in the same email with a tip. My product was real estate buyer leads which we (my son and I) produced on the internet. We offered a great bargain. It is because we continued offer free great information along with the product offer that very few unsubscribed.

Production Method # 5:

Run a simple drawing for something. We have all put our business card in a box for a free lunch. If you have a brick and mortar business, you can do this to get attention for a new product in your inventory. Make the drawing for that product. Put the drawing date out about 60 days. People will give you their name, email and cell phone number. Follow up and offer them a "special phone offer" discount for the product.

Production Method # 5:

Create a business card rack in your shop. You can buy these racks as well. They are designed to hold about 20 business cards in up to 60 slots. Next, buy some $ 1 or $ 2 desktop plastic business card holders. Make a business card coupon. Visit local businesses around your business. Introduce yourself and say, "I would like to ask a favor – would you put my cards on your counter?" Show them your 40 cards in the little individual rack. Ask for their cards – "I'll display your cards in my shop." This works like a charm!

Production Method # 6:

The famous review service (YELP) is a powerful lead generator. Most people do not realize that they must register their business with YELP. Google+ is powerful as well. Get registered at both, now! Start writing YELP reviews on every business service you use. Write honest reviews. Your reviews will be posted by YELP only after you have written multiple reviews.

Production Method # 7:

Online lead production. How do you get leads online? There are several ways – it is a big subject. Google has (recently and once again) made changes … and now, You Tube clips seem to have more power than ever. If you don't know how to make and upload You Tube clips, consider investing the time. Another time tested method is to create simple but powerful capture website pages. These pages typically make a true and powerful offer of something of real value, for free.

What ever you do, never stop generating leads. Build sustainable systems that are easy to maintain. You will be a big success.